IRIS
by Lisa Moulton
Summary: **UPDATED 9/20! STORY COMPLETE!** THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! The Doctor and Lisa arrive at a laboratory where the scientists are attempting to unlock the secrets of invisibility. When their link weakens as soon as they leave the TARDIS, they are determined to find out why.
1. You'll Have to Face the Future

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**About the Story:** This story is very, _very_ loosely based on a dream I had, according to the diary I kept at the time, on July 24, 2001. The dream involved the Fifth Doctor being unable to see or sense me but he was able to physically feel me. I changed things around, obviously, but the basic idea is the same.  
>This story was also inspired by the song <em>Iris<em> by the Goo Goo Dolls. Or _City of Angels_, but the song (or maybe the video ^^); the whole being there but not sensing them in any way) is really what I had in mind and I used an acronym generator to come up with the Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer. This story also draws inspiration from the _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ episode "The Next Phase" and the _Space Cases_ episode "Nowhere Man".  
>I chose to use the Eleventh Doctor instead of the Fifth because, as of this writing, Season Six is a month and some change away so Eleven is in my head now. This story takes place between <em>The Sarah Jane Adventures<em> episode "Death of the Doctor" and the _Doctor Who_ Christmas special "A Christmas Carol". And, as of _this_ writing, I'm waiting for a start date for Season Seven. And, as of _this_ writing, we've had the mid-season finale (*sob*) and are now awaiting the Christmas special. I suck. And I _really_ suck, because as of **_this_** writing the Christmas special has passed and we're waiting for the start of the new season. And I _extremely_ suck, because as of **_THIS_** writing, Series 7.2 has started. :/ And now we've had the Series 7 finale (OMG!) and are now awaiting the 50th anniversary special. Do you think I'll get this thing finished before the show turns 50? And NOW we know who is going to play Twelve and I am completely and hopelessly in love.  
>This story originally started with AL asking the Doctor if he was okay after seeing Jo and Sarah Jane again but then I remembered the line about regeneration. Since this story was inspired by a song, I thought I'd challenge myself and make every chapter title a song lyric. Also, I'm trying to give AL and the Doctor an equal amount of chapters. Gee, it only took me TWO YEARS to finish this sucker, lol.<p>

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **IRIS: Named for the source of inspiration. You'll Have to Face the Future when the Truth Comes Out: A lyric from the _Scrubs_ episode "My Musical". The telepathy: I feel the need to mention this again. In a story my friend Ashley (MISS YOU!) wrote starring AL with the Fifth Doctor, they were constantly speaking telepathically instead of verbally. I liked the concept and decided to use it. those three words: In "Death of the Doctor", Sarah Jane asks the Doctor if the regeneration hurt, to which he responds, "It always hurts". This would not sit well with AL but sensing he doesn't want to talk about it, she waits 'til they're alone to start giving him the third degree. after all he'd been through: Consists of all of the events of Season 5 including but not limited to the regeneration ("The Eleventh Hour"), the Daleks coming back ("Victory of the Daleks"), meeting River again, almost losing Amy to the Weeping Angels ("The Time of Angels" / "Flesh and Stone"), losing Rory ("Cold Blood"), being locked in the Pandorica and being erased from existence ("The Pandorica Opens" / "The Big Bang"). Special occasions: Or, rather, "When Lisa only wants to write for AL and the Doctor alone, which is most of the time". Amy and Rory are still on their honeymoon. …it was even weaker than it had been when he'd regenerated into his Sixth persona.: When the Doctor regenerated from Five to Six (and due to the fact that at first I didn't like the Sixth Doctor all that much), the link between him and AL was considerably weakened. After being separated from him and then reunited, she realizes that yes he's a little unstable but he is still the Doctor and she does still care for him (after I decided that Six wasn't so bad after all). My story, _Transitions_, deals with this.

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><p><em>Chapter One: You'll Have to Face the Future when the Truth Comes Out<em>

_Does it really?_

Lisa had wanted to ask him about this since he'd said those three words to Sarah Jane on the Crimson Heart's wasteland. She knew he didn't want to talk about it but she also knew that he knew that she wouldn't let something like that go easily. She had waited until they were alone, however, to mention it.

The Doctor glanced up from twiddling the TARDIS controls to look at her. She simply stood there leaning on the console, wings twitching, awaiting an answer. He shifted uncomfortably and cast his eyes back downward.

_You've been there,_ he said. _You've felt it._

She shook her head. _I go numb when you regenerate. I've only felt up to the initial change, then nothing. Why didn't you tell me that it always hurts?_

He pressed a button absently. _I never thought about it. I always assumed_…

Lisa sensed this was true, just as she'd never asked what it felt like because she'd assumed he felt what she did. She didn't blame him, nor was she angry. She knew he didn't want to discuss it – and, after all he'd been through, that was a good enough answer for her – so she changed the subject. _It was nice to see Jo again, though, huh?_

_Yep._ He still wouldn't look up.

She pursed her lips and tried again. _So are we going to go pick up Amy and Rory?_

At last he met her gaze again and smiled. _Nah, let's go on our own adventure, just the two of us. Like old times._

She returned his smile and decided not to remind him that they only ever traveled by themselves without any other companions on special occasions. Sidling up next to him, she asked, _So when are we going?_

The Doctor shrugged and started pressing buttons, flipping switches and pulling levers. _Who knows? Let's find out._ He yanked on a control and they both held on as the TARDIS pitched and rolled.

After a few moments, the time machine steadied herself and the Doctor and Lisa could freely walk around the console room again. The time rotor slowed and then stopped, indicating the ship had materialized somewhere. Lisa and the Doctor peered at the readouts.

"Year 2375," said the Doctor aloud. "Planet Augur. Interesting."

"A planetful of telepaths along with a settlement of humans," responded Lisa in kind; speaking telepathically was their most intimate way of communicating, but they weren't opposed to speaking verbally. She looked closer at the computer. "Human scientists," she amended.

"Mm," the Doctor murmured. "Well, let's go see what the scientists are up to, shall we?" He grinned and offered Lisa his arm. _Off we go! _he said telepathically, linking his arm with hers and together they set off down the stairs to exit the TARDIS.

The moment they opened the doors they sensed something was wrong. It was as if a cold, wet blanket had settled over the both of them. Lisa's link with the Doctor was the strongest she's ever had with anyone. Normally, no matter the situation, they were able to sense each other and hear each others' thoughts easily. Now, for some reason, the Doctor's sense through the link wasn't coming through as strong as it should be; in fact, it was even weaker than it had been when he'd regenerated into his Sixth persona. His thoughts seemed to be coming in through bad static and she couldn't get a sense of anyone else in the building they were in, either.

Frowning, the Doctor slammed the doors – the feeling lifted instantly and his thoughts filled her mind once again – turned to Lisa and telepathically spoke her name.

_I hear you now,_ she replied. _What was that?_

_I don't know._ The Doctor was still frowning. _Let's find out._

He reached for the door, but Lisa caught his hand. _Wait_…_I don't like it._

Squeezing her hand reassuringly, he said, _I know. Neither do I, but I think we should investigate._

She bit her lip, nodded and braced herself as the Doctor opened the doors and that wet-blanket feeling enveloped them again. She shivered as hand-in-hand they both stepped out of the TARDIS, closing the doors behind them.

__End chapter one.__


	2. I've Got a Theory

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **I've Got a Theory We Should Work This Out: A lyric from the _Buffy the Vampire Slayer_ episode "Once More, with Feeling". Aryn, BJ and Linikta: At the first time of writing I was watching episodes of _VR Troopers_ on YouTube, so I named the three main scientists after Ryan, JB and Kaitlin and switched around the letters. And I'll admit that Aryn saying he has a girlfriend is a reference to AL being with Ryan. The "Have you ever been in love?" speech: Actually my favorite bit in this story. Everything the Doctor has stated AL has done for him with the link. Sensing her before seeing her is in a story scene that I haven't made public yet since it's not part of a whole story. Feeling each others' pain is part of the link. Her presence helping keeping him grounded is something I've come up with for when he experiences regeneration trauma (or turns himself human) and has amnesia. As long as he's able to see her, he can't forget her. If she's not around, he'll forget her as easily as any other person (so she tries to be around…except when she can't, like in the "Human Nature" / "Family of Blood" two-parter). As for saving his life, well, that's a matter of the Doctor's opinion as to what he considers saving his life. Spending far too long with a weakened link: He's talking about what happened when he regenerated from his Fifth persona to his Sixth. Their link didn't return to the strength it had been until he regenerated into Eight.

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><p><em>Chapter Two: I've Got a Theory We Should Work this Out<em>

Lisa was grateful that the rest of her powers seemed unaffected by whatever was blocking their link. Outside the TARDIS, she could hear machinery and people moving about and speaking amongst themselves.

They were in a hallway of stark white and metal. There were no windows to the outside and two doors on either end. The doors had what looked like a palm print scanner with two lights – one red, one green; the latter was lit – beside it. They chose a door at random and it opened at their approach.

"You may want to hide these," the Doctor said softly as he ran a hand down one of her wings.

She wanted to ask why but held her tongue and instead folded her wings and they disappeared from view. As they continued walking, she could hear more people and machines behind the doors they passed.

They reached a door bigger than the others, which too opened when they neared it. The room they entered housed a very large machine that vaguely resembled a large gun with the barrel aimed at an apple on a pedestal.

The Doctor, as opposed to guns as he was, immediately marched over to the machine and began looking it over, sonic screwdriver in his hand. Lisa went over as well and stared down the barrel.

"There's a lens or something at the end, here," she said, pointing.

The Doctor came over to see, examining the machine very closely. "It's giving off a lot of power," he said.

"Mmm," she murmured. "I wonder what it does."

"It's none of your business," said a voice from behind them, causing them to jump and Lisa to grow annoyed. Normally she'd be able to sense someone approaching and she hadn't heard the door opening because they'd been talking.

They turned around to see three people – two men and one woman – in white jumpsuits standing behind them. One man had blonde hair and blue eyes, the woman had curly dirty-blonde hair and brown eyes and the last man, who was the only one with dark skin, had black hair and brown eyes. The blonde man seemed to be the leader.

"Ah!" said the Doctor. "Hello!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the psychic paper. "I'm the Doctor, this is Lisa. We're from the Institute for Scientific Research; we're here to inspect you're, uh…equipment."

The three people looked at each other. The woman eyed the Doctor and Lisa suspiciously. "That paper is blank."

Frowning, the Doctor examined the psychic paper, then pocketed it. "Hm…there must be some kind of dampener blocking psychic waves."

The look of surprise on the three new faces proved that what the Doctor had said was right.

The Time Lord nodded. "I thought so. The psychic paper not working coupled with all telepathic communication being ineffective…you're blocking everything telepathic. Why?"

The blonde man's eyes narrowed. "Why should we tell you?"

The Doctor's face grew very serious. "Tell me..." he paused. "What's your name?"

"Aryn."

"Tell me, Aryn…have you ever been in love?"

"I fail to see the relevance – "

"Just answer the question," the Doctor commanded in a low but powerful voice.

Taken aback, Aryn answered, "Yes. I have a girlfriend, but – "

"And are you able to communicate with her no matter where you are?" The Doctor went on, refusing to be interrupted. "Are you able to sense her before you see her? When you're hurt, does she feel it? Does her very presence help keep you grounded?" He fixed his eyes on Aryn's. "How many times has she saved your life?" He pointed at Lisa. "Do you see her? She is very special to me and we share a very special connection. Your dampener has nearly severed that connection. I spent far too long living with a weakened link and I _do not_ intend to do it again."

__End chapter two.__


	3. Something Is Not Right

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **Something Is Not Right: A lyric from an old _Madeline_ cartoon. Two years: _VR Troopers_ lasted for two seasons. That's probably where I got the number. "At least you've come up with an interesting way of making applesauce.": Paraphrased from a line from _Honey, I Shrunk the Kids_. I picture the IRIS to look a little like Wayne Szalinski's shrink ray. "…separating us when he's in a weakened state is a very bad idea.": I have this idea that the Doctor and AL have convinced the Master and maybe the Daleks that separating them if the Doctor's in a weakened state (for example, aged 900 years like in "Last of the Time Lords") would cause the Doctor to go into a coma. Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow: A line the Third Doctor is famous for even though he only said it once or so in the show. Reduce the heat: That was, I believe, the problem with the shrink ray. It was getting too hot and was thus blowing things up.

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><p><em>Chapter Three: Something Is Not Right<em>

The three scientists fidgeted under the Doctor's gaze. They stood there in a kind of stunned silence until the woman breathed, "Wow…"

"I'm sorry," said Aryn genuinely. He seemed to have forgotten that Lisa and the Doctor were trespassing. "We can't shut it off. The telepaths outside the lab would be able to steal our ideas and reach the breakthrough first."

"What breakthrough?" Lisa asked.

"With this," said Aryn proudly, gesturing at the large machine. "Our pride and joy…the IRIS. Linikta – " He pointed at the woman. "BJ – " He pointed at the other man. "And I have been working on it for two years."

"What's it do?"

A light came into Aryn's eyes. Yep, he definitely forgot that Lisa and the Doctor weren't supposed to be there. "IRIS stands for Infrared Interferometer Spectrometer. It analyzes light wavelengths to find the right frequency to make the subject invisible."

The Doctor and Lisa exchanged a look. They didn't need telepathy to mutually agree to keep the fact that Lisa already had that ability a secret.

"We can't get the wavelength right, though," said BJ as he sat down at a computer terminal. "All we seem to do is blow up the targets." He indicated the apple and then pointed to a nearby table with chunks of fruit on it.

"At least you've come up with an interesting way of making applesauce," quipped Lisa.

"Well!" the Doctor said before the three scientists could respond. "Good thing I'm here, then." The sonic was in his hand in an instant and he began scanning the IRIS machine.

Linikta sidled up next to Lisa and whispered, "Do you really do all that for him?"

She nodded. "And more. We actually have a few of our…um, a few people convinced that separating us when he's in a weakened state is a very bad idea."

Linikta paused, her facial expression conveying that she wanted to ask more, but instead opted for, "What's he doing?"

Lisa shrugged. "Knowing him? Trying to find out what's wrong with your machine. He's good like that."

Indeed, the Doctor scanned the IRIS with the sonic screwdriver, dove into the circuitry and started rewiring things, all the while babbling loads of technological gobbledygook that Lisa never understood even _with_ their link intact. She had to side-step out of the way as he came towards her as he made his way to a machine near the door and caused it to open by triggering the mechanism.

"Whoops," she said, moving to a different area of the room so the door would close.

When the Doctor finally stopped dashing about, he sat at the computer terminal that controlled the IRIS. He typed in some kind of numeric sequence and the machine began to power up.

"Powering up isn't the problem," said BJ. "It's the execution."

"Yes, _but_," said the Doctor, "if you reverse the polarity of the neutron flow and decrease the amount of heat being put out by the laser, the IRIS shouldn't blow anything up anymore. In fact!" The Doctor paused and typed another command into the computer. "The light coming through the machine into the lens should bend and make your apple, there, invisible."

The three scientists looked dubious but Lisa had a feeling he had gotten it to work. She watched the power output as it climbed into a green zone, most likely the ideal setting to activate the machine. Something then out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It was a strange ripple effect next to the IRIS machine. She was about to dismiss it as a figment of her imagination when it happened again.

Walking over to the Doctor and placing a hand on his shoulder to get his attention, she said, "Doctor? Do you see that?" She pointed towards where she'd seen the distortion.

"See what?" He looked up and, again, the little ripple appeared near the business end of the IRIS machine. The Doctor frowned and got up from his seat, pulling the sonic screwdriver out of his pocket, buzzing the area.

The hum of the IRIS grew louder and the lens at the end started to glow. The power output suddenly rose quickly into a red zone and the IRIS was about to discharge with the Doctor still standing in front of it.

All Lisa could see in her mind's eye was the Doctor getting shot by this machine. Without thinking and in a panic, she shouted, "Doctor, look out!" and pushed him out of the way, catching him off guard and knocking him to the ground but leaving her in firing range of the energy beam that shot out of the lens and hit her square in the chest.

__End chapter three.__


	4. And I'd Give Up Forever to Touch You

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **And I'd Give Up Forever to Touch You: A lyric from _Iris_. Dr. Athr and Tyrel: Based on Prof. Hart and Ryan's dad Tyler from _VR Troopers_.

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><p><em>Chapter Four: And I'd Give Up Forever to Touch You<em>

The Doctor looked up just in time to see the energy beam impact Lisa's chest. He winced automatically even though he couldn't feel it. He clambered to his feet and rushed to her but it was too late. There was a flash and, when their vision cleared, she was nowhere to be found.

"Shut it down!" Aryn shouted as he and his fellow scientists hurried to power the IRIS down.

"What happened?" Linikta asked as she worked.

The Doctor stood still for a moment, slightly in shock. He strained his link with Lisa, calling for her in his mind as loud as he could manage, but it was no use. He couldn't get a sense of her; what little of the link that had been left with the dampener engaged was gone.

He shook his head as if to clear it and then took out the sonic screwdriver and began scanning the area Lisa had disappeared, the IRIS and its machinery. "A power surge," was his answer to Linikta's question. "Too much power was fed into the machine. The question is, why? And what happened to Lisa?"

"You don't think she's – " Aryn began.

"_No!_" the Doctor insisted. He refused to believe that she was dead. Lisa was immortal; she'd probably outlive _him_ when all was said and done. It would take something more than a high energy beam to put her out of commission. Slightly more calmly, he said, "No. Even without the link…I know."

"But," said BJ, "you said so yourself that our dampener – "

"Your dampener!" shouted the Doctor, pointing at Aryn. "It needs to be shut off."

"We can't – " Aryn began.

"Wait." Linikta interrupted him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Obviously something or…or some_one_ tampered with the IRIS. If the telepaths already have the invisibility technology, I don't see why we can't shut the dampener off just long enough to let the Doctor communicate with Lisa."

Aryn hedged for a few minutes before finally nodding his acquiescence. "All right. Follow me."

The blonde scientist stood up and led his fellows and the Doctor out of the IRIS room and down the hall. They approached a door but the lights on the palm scanner were glowing red. Aryn frowned and placed his hand over the scanner. The door wouldn't open.

"That's strange…" he muttered, trying again. He then pounded on the door, shouting, "Dr. Athr! Are you in there?"

"Yes!" called a deep voice. "So's Tyrel. The door is jammed. What happened?"

"A power surge in the IRIS. It must've affected the door controls, too."

"Tyrel's trying to manually override the doors so at least we can get in and out."

As if on cue, the door slid open to reveal a black man with white hair dressed in the same white jumpsuit.

"Dr. Athr, this is the Doctor. His friend was hit by the IRIS and she disappeared, so…" Aryn took a deep breath. "We need to shut down the dampener in order to find out if she's all right."

Dr. Athr's eyes narrowed, looking the Doctor up and down. "Why?" he asked. "The only reason to shut off the dampener is if it involves telepathy."

"Believe me," said the Doctor. "I have no interest in stealing your technology. But it seems as if someone has. Just before the power surge, Lisa told me that she'd seen something strange over by the IRIS machine and I believe that means that your telepath rivals have already come up with something similar." He paused, then said, "The telepathy between Lisa and I isn't something you need to worry about; it's something I need to know that she's all right. Please shut the dampener off."

"We can't shut it down," said another man as he walks into the room. He resembled Aryn a little, though his hair was slightly darker. He, too, was wearing the white jumpsuit.

"Doctor, this is Tyrel," said Aryn. "He's a head scientist like Dr. Athr. He's also my father. Dad, I told the Doctor we would – "

"No, I mean we _can't_," he said. "Physically can't. The power surge fused the controls. We can't even get into the room."

"Show me," said the Doctor, frowning, pulling out the sonic screwdriver and making his way into the room. He went to the palm print scanner Tyrel pointed out to him and started buzzing it with the device.

Behind his back, he could hear the scientists speaking in hushed tones about him. He didn't care; he just needed to find out if Lisa was okay.

__End chapter four.__


	5. I Call Out Your Name

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **I Call Out Your Name, You Don't Hear a Sound: A lyric from _Invisible_ sung by Clay Aiken. The Doctor being rendered invisible and insubstantial: This happened to the First Doctor in the episode "The Celestial Toymaker".

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><p><em>Chapter Five: I Call Out Your Name, You Don't Hear a Sound<em>

Her chest hurt.

That was the first sensation to come through first as Lisa started to regain consciousness. There was a dull, deep ache where the beam from the IRIS had hit her and she could smell singed clothing. As she became more and more aware, she could feel the cold, hard metal floor beneath her and could hear people speaking quite a ways away.

She lay still for a moment to collect herself. She remembered pushing the Doctor out of the way of the energy beam that had emitted from the IRIS and it hitting her, then there was nothing. She'd blacked out from the impact and only now did her body decide it was recovered enough to let her regain consciousness.

Finally opening her eyes, she found herself alone in the IRIS chamber. She almost called out telepathically for the Doctor before she remembered the dampener. She pushed herself up into a sitting position and looked down. Her shirt was burnt where the energy beam had struck her and she could feel her skin itching as it healed.

Sighing, she surveyed her surroundings. The door leading out to the hall looked to be stuck open and she could see more scientists in the white jumpsuits rushing about. Conversations came through in a buzz and she couldn't make out any single topic.

Standing up, she listened hard for the Doctor's voice. She could barely hear it over the din, but she could get a general sense of the direction it was coming from. She left the IRIS room and began following the sound of her friend's voice.

Strangely, everyone she passed ignored her and almost every door was stuck open, the palm print scanners' lights flicking from green to red and back again. She did overhear something about a power surge and she figured that was what caused the IRIS to malfunction.

Frowning, she remembered the weird ripple she'd seen next to the machine before it went off. Whatever that had been, maybe that had caused the power surge. She made a mental note to remind the Doctor about it when she saw him.

Lisa found him in a different room a few doors down from the IRIS. Aryn, Linikta and BJ were at different computer consoles while the Doctor himself was buried in a mess of wires near a closed door with two unfamiliar men working nearby.

"Hey, Doctor," she called. "I think that ripple is what caused the power surge." He didn't seem to hear her. She frowned again and drew closer. "Doctor?" she said and again he ignored her. "Hey!" she shouted but got no response. Her frown deepened and she reached out to touch his shoulder. "Doctor!"

Her hand passed through him.

Staring at her hand in shock, she tried again to grab his arm and again it passed straight through.

"Great Orion…" she breathed. "I'm invisible." She paused, thinking, then shook her head. "No…if I was just invisible, they would still be able to hear me." She passed her hand through a wall. "And I wouldn't be able to do that." She looked at her hand and ran her thumb over her fingertips. "Feels solid enough to me, but not to anyone or anything else." She glanced down at her feet, raised an eyebrow and jumped in place. "So if I can pass through walls and people, why don't I fall through the floor?" Suddenly ambitious, she knelt and tried to pass a hand through. Oddly enough, it was as solid as ever.

Standing up and shaking her head, she said to herself, "I never understood the logic of this thing…"

Lisa knew now that the IRIS machine had thrown her out of phase with the rest of her surroundings. Except the floor, but she decided not to think about it too much. She'd heard of things like this happening and the Doctor himself had been rendered invisible and insubstantial ages ago by the Celestial Toymaker, but they were still able to hear him. He hadn't been out of phase. Not completely.

She sighed and tried to figure out what to do. She mentally ran through her powers to see if any of them would be effective in her present state and ultimately came to the conclusion that nothing would help. She walked through the Doctor and the other scientists a few times in an attempt to have them feel _anything_, but it was no use.

Dejected, Lisa sat on the floor near the Doctor and listened to their conversations to at least become updated on the situation. The Doctor himself was trying to get into the room where the dampener controls were located in order to shut it down and contact her. Aryn, BJ and Linikta were in the process of going to repair the damage to the IRIS and the other two scientists – Dr. Athr and Aryn's father Tyrel, she found out – were trying to trace the power surge.

She began wondering if the Doctor could somehow be lured either into the TARDIS or outside the area of the dampener when she saw the ripple again out in the hall. Firmly convinced that the ripple had something to do with the IRIS malfunction, Lisa stood up, brushed off her jeans for no reason and set off to follow the thing before it got away.

__End chapter five.__


	6. Show Me Everything and Tell Me How

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **Show Me Everything and Tell Me How: A lyric from _Strangers Like Me_ by Phil Collins from the movie _Tarzan_. Byill and Nitri: I decided that since I used the guys from _VR Troopers_, I'd use everyone from the action-fighting-kids-shows that I watched as a kid. On the opposing team thus far are the Power Rangers based on Billy and Trini. Janos: Jason, who was the leader before Tommy became the White Ranger. Kilbymer and Kazc: The anagrams don't work as well here as with the others but naturally this is Kimberly and Zack. AL lampshades (TV Tropes terms ftw) the fact that Kilbymer is a weird name.

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><p><em>Chapter Six: Show Me Everything and Tell Me How<em>

As Lisa followed the ripple as it traveled through the building, she realized that it – whatever _it_ was – was not insubstantial. It would wait at the doors that hadn't been stuck open until someone walked through them and it seemed to be skirting other people in its path while Lisa just let them pass through her. She reasoned that that was how it had gotten into the IRIS room; when she'd accidentally triggered the door's opening mechanism.

It led her down through the bowels of the building and that's when she found out something else: it had a heartbeat. She hadn't noticed with the crowds of people upstairs but now that she and it were alone, the extra beats were easy to hear. This thing had to be alive.

They wound up in an abandoned area with almost no lighting and cables hanging from the ceiling, sparks raining down from it. The ripple paused at the far wall and then in its place materialized a young man with dark hair and glasses. He was wearing a jumpsuit like those above except it was blue instead of white and he had a nasty gash on his forehead; he was trying to staunch the bleeding with a piece of his jumpsuit.

She watched as he pressed some buttons on a control on his wrist and waited a moment. The device emitted beep, then he proceeded to remove a panel on the wall. He slipped through the opening, Lisa following, and replaced the panel before making his way down a dark tunnel. She briefly wished the light from her wings would work before the man took out a small flashlight.

He led her through the tunnel a long way before they wound up in a large cavern lined with equipment including something that closely resembled the IRIS machine but smaller. The people around were also wearing blue jumpsuits.

The man met up with an Oriental-looking woman with long dark hair and a different man who looked to be the leader.

"Byill, you've been gone for ages," said the man and his eyes trained on the wound. "What happened?"

"The test of the Invisi-Arc was a success." He removed the device from around his wrist and handed it to the woman. "I was undetectable. We were correct in assuming that the scientists were unaware of the damage to the lower rooms of the building. I was able to make my way to the upper levels, however I wasn't able to enter the room that housed the IRIS until the door was opened accidentally by one of the scientists' new assistants."

"New assistants?" asked the woman.

"Correct," said Byill. "Two people I've never seen before: a male and a female. The man calls himself 'the Doctor'. I was unable to learn the female's name before I was injured."

"What happened?" the woman echoed the man's earlier question.

"This 'Doctor' was able to make the IRIS functional. I tampered with the controls triggering a power surge that pulsed through the circuitry causing the equipment to cease functioning."

The man raised an eyebrow and glanced sideways at the woman. She said, "He messed up the controls to the IRIS and caused a power surge and now it doesn't work anymore." She paused briefly, then continued, "You're head?"

"Affirmative," he replied, peering at the blood-soaked fabric in his hand. "The IRIS discharged a high energy beam that caused temporary blindness. I struck my head on some equipment and was rendered unconscious for a time."

Lisa shook her head. "This guy talks like he's eaten a thesaurus."

The woman opened her mouth to translate but the leader stopped her with a raised hand. "I got the gist, Nitri. What else? In small words if you can manage."

Byill appeared to be thinking of how to grant that request. "When I regained consciousness, everyone was gone. I found them several doors down from the room with the IRIS. I believe the Doctor was attempting to repair the machine."

He was actually trying to shut the dampener down but she assumed Byill hadn't seen closely what the Doctor had been doing.

"Do you think he's capable of getting it working again?" asked the man.

"Affirmative, Janos. He would have made it functional the first time had I not caused the power surge."

Janos thought a moment, frowning. "All right. Now that we know the Invisi-Arc works, we can move in. Start on production and make enough for all of us. We can't let them get the IRIS working. We'll attack as soon as we've made enough. Dismissed."

He walked away and Lisa followed Byill and Nitri in the opposite direction as they made their way to a small area she assumed was being used as a medical bay. Byill removed the compress from his head so Nitri could examine the wound.

"You're still bleeding. Hang on." She handed him back the Invisi-Arc and reached for a medical kit. She cleaned and put a bandage over the wound and soon after they were joined by another woman and a dark-skinned man.

"Byill, you're hurt!" said the woman.

"Exceptionally observant, Kilbymer," he deadpanned.

" 'Kilbymer'?" Lisa said to herself. "Really? Who would name their kid that?"

"Save for a headache, I suffered no ill effects."

"What happened up there, anyway?" asked the man.

Byill gave them a rundown of the events and Janos' orders and held the Invisi-Arc out to the dark-skinned man. "Kazc, please give this to the others so they can start producing more."

He took it and left. Lisa started to follow him, then stopped and looked back to Byill, Nitri and Kilbymer, debating on who to stick with.

She sighed to herself. She was going to have to find some way to warn the Doctor and the scientists of the impending attack.

The question was…how?

__End chapter six.__


	7. Looking Through Your Eyes

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** I tried very hard to get this chapter out before the premier of Season 6.2 on August 27th. Most of it was written at work during lunch and the rest of it was written in the middle of the woods with no one but my horse (whose name is Shada after the unfinished Fourth Doctor episode…or the Eighth Doctor audio if you prefer) for company. Incidentally, I posted this at work so if there are any errors, please let me know. Looking Through Your Eyes: A lyric from the song of the same name from the movie _Quest for Camelot_. He wasn't as sensitive to [temperature changes] as humans: The Fifth Doctor stated "Four to Doomsday" that he can withstand the cold of space for six minutes. Sarah Jane calls him "thick-skinned" in "The Hand of Fear". He often had to lend his coat out: An in-show example is the end of the aforementioned episode "The Hand of Fear" when he let Sarah Jane wear his coat while leaving Kastria. AL also dons Ten's coat in my unfinished fic _Return of the Time Sirens_. Seydyn, Kentar and Amelus; Cyluk and Aperem: Sydney, Tanker and Sam (though I had to use "Samuel" since 3 letters wasn't helping the anagram generator) and Lucky and Amp (and I had to use his whole name, "Amp Ere") from _Superhuman Samurai Syber Squad_.

**Special Thanks:** To Keiyo.F for their kind reviews. Thanks for giving the story a chance and sorry for the delay with the new chapter. :)

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><p><em>Chapter Seven: Looking Through Your Eyes<em>

Backed-up by Linikta and Aryn, the Doctor spent some time convincing Tyrel and Dr. Athr to allow him to repair the dampener controls and shut it off just long enough to ensure Lisa's safety. He spent more time just getting the door open, for the power surge had fused the wiring. The damage to the dampener system itself was far more extensive and the Doctor groaned inwardly when he saw the smoking mass of wires and circuitry.

Using spare parts given to him by the scientists and some bits from the TARDIS (and the Doctor _did_ pause inside where the dampener couldn't reach to try to contact Lisa; the only response he got was silence), the Time Lord began work on the machine.

He didn't notice Linikta walk in until she called his name. He lifted his head to acknowledge her presence and then kept working. She held out a small water bottle to him and said, "I thought you might be thirsty. The power surge also knocked out the cooling system and the temperature is starting to rise. The guys who aren't working on the IRIS are working on that."

Truthfully, the Doctor hadn't noticed the temperature change. He wasn't as sensitive to that as humans were. He often had to lend his coat out to his companions when the temperature was too cold for them.

When he didn't respond right away, Linikta frowned. "Are you all right?"

He looked up only slightly. "I sometimes wonder if there could be some truth to the things we tell people."

Linikta's frown deepened. "Pardon?"

The Doctor was so lost in thought that he didn't answer. He'd become so accustomed to Lisa's constant presence that being without it was decidedly uncomfortable. Being unable to feel her double heartbeat that was synchronous with his own left him with a sense of emptiness and his head was decidedly quieter without her thoughts mingling with his. He wasn't exactly going to slip into a coma, but the absence of the link made him uneasy.

Seeing his discomfort, Linikta changed the subject. She held out the water bottle to him. "Do you want it?"

Again, he didn't answer. He just went back to what he was doing. Linikta shrugged and left the bottle on a shelf near the door. She was about to leave when Dr. Athr came in carrying a hand-held computer.

"Linikta," he said, "Seydyn, Kentar and Amelus are waiting for you. They need your help with the cooling system generator."

"What about Cyluk and Aperem?" she questioned.

"They're already there."

She looked put-out but said, "Yes, Dr. Athr," and walked out the door.

Dr. Athr watched her leave, then looked to his computer, tapping a few keys. "Are you still working on the dampener controls?"

The Doctor looked up in a half-glare, then went back to work.

"It's useless, you know," said Dr. Athr. "That dampener hasn't been shut off in decades. If the power surge didn't knock it out, what makes you think you can disable it?"

"I'm extremely clever," was the response.

Dr. Athr rolled his eyes. "The power surge made by the IRIS did a lot of damage due to the power output. The beam shot out by the IRIS had a lot of energy behind it. Just face the facts…your friend is dead."

This made the Doctor straighten to his full height, not quite towering over the scientist but he did have a few inches on him.

"I'd know if she were," he said.

"How?" countered Dr. Athr. "If you have some kind of telepathic connection that the dampener inhibits, how do you know?"

The Doctor set his jaw, a determined look in his eyes. He pointed the sonic screwdriver at the dampener controls and activated the device. The machine whirred for a few seconds before, finally, all of the lights on it went out and it powered down.

The Doctor gasped as the feeling of the wet blanket lifted and his mind was filled with an onslaught of thoughts and emotions. He grasped the edge of a computer panel to keep himself from falling, squeezing his eyes shut.

_Doctor!_ came her voice.

_Lisa!_

Almost immediately, images began to flow into his mind at breakneck speed as Lisa began to send him information. Even though his eyes were closed, he could see a cavern lit with lamps with mechanical equipment lining the walls – he was seeing what Lisa was. People were milling around but the Doctor couldn't distinguish the faces.

Suddenly, the dampener machine sparked and began to power up. The wet-blanket feeling settled over the Doctor again and the connection with Lisa was severed once more.

_NO!_ he cried. "NO!" He trained the sonic screwdriver back onto the controls but no amount of whirring from the device would deactivate it again.

"What happened?" asked Dr. Athr.

The Doctor was silent for a moment and one prominent memory bubbled up. His eyes widened and he said, "Get everyone together. There's a bigger problem."

__End chapter seven.__


	8. You Were My Eyes When I Couldn't See

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** OH MY GAWD A NEW CHAPTER! Wow, I'm so, so sorry it took THIS LONG to get out new chapters. I've been working on this story since, what, 2011? When did Series 6 start? Anyway, it's taken until now, when Series 7.2 has finished and we're six months away from the 50th anniversary episode (OMG THAT FINALE!) for me to write Chapters Eight and Nine. I swear I'm working on this. My goal is to finish this sucker before the show turns 50. Think I'll do it? :/ You Were My Eyes When I Couldn't See: A lyric from Celine Dion's _Because You Loved Me_, which, incidentally, is AL and the Doctor's "Our Song". "We're scientists. Not warriors. We don't have any weapons.": Mawdryn's line from "Mawdryn Undead" paraphrased slightly. "No violence. Not while I'm here. Not now. Not ever.": Lifted from the Season Five episode "The Lodger". I played around with the wording a little. almost forty years: An expy (more TV Tropes terms ftw) of _Masked Rider_'s King Lexian will eventually make an appearance on the telepath team as the oldest person around and the actor who played him in the show, Ralph Votrian, is 78 years old (79 as of this writing) and he has to remember when the telepathy went out.

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><p><em>Chapter Eight: You Were My Eyes When I Couldn't See<em>

The Doctor had only just begun sorting through the thoughts and memories Lisa had sent to him during the few seconds the dampener had been deactivated. He found out that she had been thrown out of phase by the IRIS and the power surge had been caused by one of the telepaths, a group of which had created a base down in the caves below the lab.

He also found out that the telepaths had manufactured their own version of the IRIS and as soon as they had produced enough, they were going to attack. The Doctor had just finished telling the scientists this.

"How long do you think it will take them to make enough?" asked Linikta.

"I don't know," he admitted. "They have at least one and it didn't look like there were many people down there. Could be hours, could be days."

"We have to defend ourselves," said Tyrel.

"But we're scientists," said Aryn. "Not warriors. We don't have any weapons."

The Doctor's head snapped up. "No," he said, voice hard. "No violence. Not while I'm here. Not now. Not ever."

The scientists visibly cringed.

"Why would they want to attack us anyway?" asked Kentar, another scientist with a large build but friendly eyes.

"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?" The looks the scientists gave the Doctor told him that it wasn't. "There are two possibilities. One, more than likely they want to destroy that dampener of yours. Think about it: You took away a part of them just because you were afraid of something. They're just retaliating. They want it back. Two, they want to destroy your IRIS. Though why they would want to do that when they already have the same technology…" He trailed off.

There was a buzz of murmured conversation, then Seydyn – the only other female scientist in the room – said, "Why don't we just deactivate the dampener, then? They already have the technology…there's nothing to steal. And if they want to destroy the IRIS…maybe the dampener being off will sway them from doing it."

"But the Doctor tried to shut down the dampener," says Linikta. "It worked for about five seconds, then started up again and we can't get it to power down."

"What about cutting it off from the main power?" asked the Doctor.

Amelus, a scientist who was slightly taller and younger than Aryn, shook his head. "It has a direct line into the power supply and generators. The only way to cut the power to the dampener is to cut the power to the entire station and we can't do that. There's a hospital wing and they need that power."

Everyone was silent for a moment, then Linikta picked up a large wrench from the toolbox. "Then we'll have to do it the old fashioned way." She lifted the wrench over her head and before anyone could say anything more, brought it down hard on the dampener controls. The machine sparked as parts went flying. Again and again she swung the wrench into the dampener control panel until, finally, it went dead.

Prepared this time, the Doctor shut his eyes as the wet blanket feeling lifted once again and braced himself for the link to connect.

_You shut it down!_ she said, then, _I see. Thank Linikta for me._

_They don't want them to get the IRIS working,_ Lisa explained. _Now that I can finally get a read_…_they don't want the competition. They want only them to have the technology and no one else._ She paused and he sensed confusion.

_What's wrong?_

_No one here is reacting as if the dampener is off. It's like_…_no one is telepathic anymore._

The Doctor frowned, attracting the attention of the scientists.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" asked Linikta.

He explained what he'd just been told and finished with a question. "How long has that dampener been active?"

One by one, the scientists looked towards Tyrel and Dr. Athr. "Since the place was built…so, almost forty years…"

_Easy, Doctor_… Lisa had, of course, heard everything via the link and could sense his rising anger. _What's done is done and all we can do is fix things now._

The Doctor didn't like the situation, but he was determined to prevent bloodshed and get Lisa back to normal.

_Lisa, I need to know everything about what's going on down there._

_Okay._

The link opened fully and the Doctor shut his eyes as she sent him what she was seeing.

She was standing near a small group of the telepaths who seemed to be sitting in an assembly line. They had six devices already made.

_I think they're only making ten or so,_ said Lisa. _It's like there're ten main people and the rest are subordinates or something, not interested in confrontations. Though it seems like at least a couple of the "mains" aren't really interested in an attack, either, and are just going with Janos._

Her eyes trained on one of the men, who was standing near the assembly line with his arms crossed, overseeing the operations.

_We have to find a way to stop the attack._

_Great. I'm all ears, love._ A pause and he could almost feel her smile. _Well, so to speak. Or think as the case may be._

The Doctor had to smile. She might not be back completely, but having the link restored was a good start.

__End chapter eight.__


	9. We Have to Get This Right

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes: **I promise I'm working on this story. Hopefully I'll have Chapter 10 done before the end of the month. We Have to Get This Right: A lyric from _The Ballad of the Crystal Empire_ from the _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic_ third season episode "The Crystal Empire – Part 1". Shut up, it's a guilty pleasure of mine. Xed, Baeel, Mogan: From _Masked Rider_, Dex, Albee and Magno (Dex's talking car but instead of a bug she looks like her voice actress Wendee Lee).

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><p><em>Chapter Nine: We Have to Get This Right<em>

Although the Doctor was tempted to ask Lisa to meet him near the entrance of the caves, he felt it was better to keep her near the telepaths to relay any information she gained.

It was ultimately decided to lock down the upper levels as best they could with no weapons and a small group of the scientists would go with the Doctor down to the caves to try to make the telepaths see sense.

Armed only with flashlights and the sonic screwdriver, the Doctor, Aryn, BJ and Linikta headed down to the lower levels, the Time Lord following the route Lisa had taken.

Linikta frowned at the derelict conditions and said to Aryn, "Did you know all of this was down here?"

"My dad may've mentioned it once or twice," he replied, "but I never really thought about it."

BJ nodded. "We don't use this area, so I guess it kind of got put out of our minds."

_Out of sight, out of mind,_ quipped Lisa, who had been listening in via the Doctor.

The Doctor didn't feel the need to respond. Instead, he swept his flashlight around the room until the beam settled on the loose panel on the wall. He hurried to it, felt around behind it, then lifted it out of the way and set it aside.

"Let's go," he said and led the way into the caves.

He stopped halfway when he sensed alarm and he heard Lisa swear. Voices echoed in his ears calling out orders and instructions.

"What's the matter?" asked Linikta.

"Shh!" he hissed, waving a hand. _Lisa, what's wrong?_

_I think they know you're coming. Everyone's scrambling around talking about intruders in the caves. _She was silent a moment, then, _Oh, of course! Byill waited for a signal before moving the loose panel in the lab. They must have some kind of field or something that alerts them of whoever's approaching._

_"Get the weapons!"_ said a voice.

_"But, Janos, the Invisi-Arcs aren't ready,"_ said another.

_"GET THE WEAPONS! We won't let them attack first!"_

_Doctor, they're coming after you!_

"They're after us," said the Doctor, sweeping his flashlight around the tunnel. There were no side tunnels or holes in which they could hide.

_There's three_…_wait_…_they're not coming to attack you._

"Don't shoot!" called a young voice. "We're unarmed; please don't shoot!"

From down the cave three people came running, all wearing blue jumpsuits and all with their hands raised up in the universal "I surrender" pose.

"Doctor," said Linikta, "they're just kids…"

Indeed, two of the former telepaths looked to be children. The youngest was male had dark skin, brown eyes and black hair. The next oldest was also male, had light skin, dark hair and blue eyes. The last was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes.

"Don't shoot!" said the youngest. "We're unarmed!"

"So are we," said Aryn, showing his hands and the others followed suit. "We're not here to hurt you."

"You're not?" asked the older male, looking to his companions. "We've always been told that you scientists had your dampener active so we couldn't steal your ideas. We figured you were coming after us after what Byill did to your machine."

Linikta shook her head violently. "No! I mean…yes, we had the dampener active because of that, but we don't have any weapons. We're scientists."

"And as for the IRIS," said Aryn, "well, we'll get it working eventually." He shrugged.

"The dampener isn't even on anymore," said BJ.

All three of them looked confused. The woman shook her head. "That's impossible. If your dampener was off, then we'd have our abilities back."

"The dampener _is_ off," confirmed the Doctor. "My friend has been thrown out of phase and I'm only able to communicate with her telepathically. My guess is that the dampener has been on for so long that your telepathic abilities have become dormant from nonuse." He looked – or more half-glared – at Aryn. "I was told it's been on almost forty years?"

"My grandfather remembers when his telepathic abilities ceased," said the older male.

_Doctor, the others are closing in on you and these guys are armed. There's_… She paused to count. _There's five._

"Five of your people are after us," said the Doctor.

"Look," said Aryn, "we've seen how wrong we've been with the dampener and we're sorry. We want to survive just as much as you do. You obviously didn't come to attack us since you didn't bring any weapons."

The three telepaths exchanged glances. "You are correct," said the older male. "My name is Xed, she is Mogan and that is Baeel. We wish to ask for your help in subduing our leader, Janos. He is the only one who truly wishes to destroy you…the remainder of us do not want any violence."

_You don't have a lot of time._

"Your people are coming," reported the Doctor.

"If we help you," said Linikta, "will you help us get the Doctor's friend Lisa back to normal? You got the invisibility technology working before we did…you have to have some knowledge that we don't."

Xed, Mogan and Baeel spoke in hushed tones for a few moments before Xed turned to them and nodded. "We will help you."

__End chapter nine.__


	10. She Aimed and She Shot Me

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** Not exactly the end of June, is it? Well, in my defense my best friend died last month and the following week was my birthday, so it was hard to find the motiviation. I am determined to get this sucker finished before the show turns 50, though. She Aimed and She Shot Me: A lyric from the song _Straight Through My Heart_ by the Backstreet Boys. Abbrara: Barbara, Prince Dex's adoptive mother from _Masked Rider_. Axilen: The aforementioned expy of Dex's grandfather King Lexian from _Masked Rider_.

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><p><em>Chapter Ten: She Aimed and She Shot Me<em>

There was barely any time to plan before the former telepaths had surrounded the group, all pointing weapons their way. The man called Janos was in the front wearing a deep frown.

The Doctor and his group raised their hands to show they had no weapons. They noticed that most of the people behind Janos looked as if they would rather be anywhere but there.

Xed, Mogan and Baeel put themselves between their fellow former telepaths and the Doctor's group. "Janos, don't!" said Mogan. "They're not here to hurt us!"

"Out of the way, Mogan!" Janos shouted. "All of you!"

"_No_, Janos!" said Xed. "They are in search of their friend…they are _not_ here to harm us!"

"Please put the gun down!" Baeel added.

Janos responded by tightening his grip on his gun.

"It's true!" said Linikta.

Janos ignored her. "Baeel, Xed, Mogan…if you don't move, you'll die as well. If you're not with us, you're against us."

The people behind Janos fidgeted uneasily. "Um, Janos?" one of them said. "You didn't say anything about _killing_ anyone…"

"Be _quiet_, Kazc," he warned.

Kazc exchanged a look with the rest of his group; it was clear that none of them wanted to become murderers regardless if they've lost their abilities or not. They looked at each other, desperate for another solution.

Suddenly, out of the corner of the Doctor's eye he noticed a strange yet familiar ripple heading towards them. He watched as the ripple passed a small pile of rocks, causing them to topple over. Janos jerked his gun towards the noise.

"What was that?" he demanded.

For a moment, everything was still; everyone seemed to be holding their breath. More rocks soon fell as if something was knocking them over and one skittered across the ground as if kicked. Janos became even more edgy at the noise and movement; his gun was shaking in his hands.

"Liars!" he roared, tightening his grip on the gun.

_Doctor!_ Lisa's voice screeched in his mind. _He's going to shoot!_

He was about to shout a warning when all of a sudden a rock levitated and shot itself towards the former telepaths. Janos fired wildly, panicked, the shots ricocheting around the cave.

"Get down!" the Doctor called as he tried to protect his companions.

In the confusion Janos' group tried to wrestle the gun away from him. Another shot rang in their ears as he fought violently against them and they struggled fiercely until, for seemingly no reason, he jerked as if hit and collapsed.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; however the former telepaths looked concerned. "What happened?" one of them asked.

Kazc knelt at Janos' side along with two others. He was frowning. "He's been stunned…who shot him?" He looked towards the others. "Did anyone fire off a shot during the struggle?"

They all checked their weapons and shook their heads.

The Doctor noticed and was staring at the ripple that had begun the commotion. "I think the answer lies there." He pointed at the deceptively empty space.

"Very good," said a disembodied voice and in place of the ripple a woman holding a gun appeared.

"Abbrara!" Kilbymer shouted. "You're using an Invisi-Arc."

Abbrara nodded. "Axilen activated it for me."

"You saved our lives," said Linikta. "Thank you."

"When I realized what Janos was about to do, I couldn't let everyone become murderers." Abbrara glanced at Janos' prone form on the ground. "Can I suggest we put him somewhere he won't hurt himself or someone else?"

The Doctor wasn't paying attention. His eyes were trained on the cave where the former telepaths had come from. He could see a faint outline of a person standing there watching the proceedings. The figure waved and the Doctor's face split into a wide grin.

"Lisa!" he cried, running over to her outline. He almost hugged her instinctively when he realized she was still insubstantial.

There was a moment of silence, then, _I heard the shot and came running. Not like I could do anything, but_… Then, _They're staring at you, you know._

The Doctor turned to see that indeed the former telepaths were giving him a look as if he'd lost his mind but the scientists were more in the know.

"I thought she was invisible?" said Aryn.

"She is," said the Doctor. "But now that the dampener isn't working, the link between us allows me to see her. Well, almost. It's just an outline."

_And I still have to speak to you telepathically. I tried to speak but you didn't hear me._

He relayed that message, then said, "I think it's time we bring her back."

__End chapter ten.__


	11. When Can I See You Again?

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** We're actually in the home stretch now! This story is almost done! Is it ironic that the ELEVENTH chapter is the longest? ^^ When Can I See You Again?: A lyric from the song of the same name by Owl City for the film _Wreck-It Ralph_.

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><p><em>Chapter Eleven: When Can I See You Again?<em>

Lisa watched as the group bound Janos and sedated him so he wouldn't cause any more trouble. Afterward, it was decided that since the IRIS had caused the accident, it had to be what brought her back from her out of phase state. Unfortunately, that meant that the former telepaths had to come aboveground to aid in repairing the machine.

"That's going to be tough," said Aryn. "We have decades of prejudices against them. And they have the guns."

"What if we surrender them?" asked Nitri. "To show good faith?"

"Might work," shrugged Aryn.

_The only way to know is to try,_ said Lisa, the Doctor relaying the message. _Maybe one of them can go with them and help explain things?_

Xed stepped forward. "I shall go. I am second-in-command now that Janos is incarcerated. Gather all of the weapons save one…we shall need it to guard him."

The former telepaths activated the weapons' safeties and piled all of them into a cart that could be wheeled aboveground. They would leave it on the floor below the occupied areas so they could send someone for it without them discovering the entrance to the caves.

"How're we going to do this?" asked BJ. "Get Xed aboveground, I mean? As soon as everyone sees him, I bet there'll be panic."

"Surrender the Invisi-Arcs," said Mogan. "Use one to get aboveground, deactivate it and hand all of them over."

Xed nodded. "That is what we shall do."

Axilen, Xed's grandfather and the eldest of the former telepaths took the Invisi-Arc from Abbrara and fiddled with it for a moment before handing it to his grandson so they could use the IRIS-like machine to activate it.

_Doctor?_ Lisa said as they worked. _What about their telepathy? They haven't said anything about it, but is there anything we can do for them?_

He gave a mental shrug. _Their telepathic abilities have been dormant for so long_…_I'm not sure if there's anything we can do. It may come back on its own_…_it might not. Hard to say._

Lisa made a face he couldn't see but didn't say anything more on the matter. Xed had put on the Invisi-Arc and was standing in front of the IRIS-like machine – Lisa was beginning to think of it as the Mini-I since it looked like the IRIS aboveground but smaller. Axilen stood near it and was working the controls.

"Stand by," he said and Xed lifted his arm to point the Invisi-Arc toward the machine. He flipped a switch and the machine powered up. "And…now!" He pressed a button and the Mini-I glowed and shot out a beam of light, which hit its target of the Invisi-Arc on Xed's wrist. The Invisi-Arc glowed briefly and Xed shimmered and vanished.

Aryn, Linikta and BJ stared. "They really did reach the breakthrough before us…" Aryn murmured.

Byill looked sheepish. "To be quite ingenuous – " He received blank stares and tried again. "Honestly, your IRIS would have functioned properly had I not instigated the power surge. Your focusing laser was producing too high a temperature but the Doctor rectified that problem." He looked at the Time Lord. "Where is Lisa now?" Looking where he was pointing, he said, "Lisa, it is due to my interference with the IRIS' operations that caused you to be thrown out of phase. For that, I am sorry."

_Tell him it's okay._ She paused a moment, then chuckled. _It's not like he could kill me._

The Doctor repeated the message with the exception of the last part and Byill nodded. Xed's disembodied voice said, "I am ready. Let us go."

"Wait…" said Aryn as the other Invisi-Arcs were put in the cart with the weapons. "How do we know where you're standing?"

The Doctor asked, "Lisa, can you tell where he is?"

_Yeah._

"Lisa can sense him and I can sense her. Lisa, please stand where Xed is."

She couldn't see him, however now with the dampener off she could easily sense where he was standing, not to mention she could hear his heartbeat. She stood beside the invisible former telepath.

_It's not like he's going to wander off. He's perfectly sincere in his intentions._

_You know that and I know that,_ said the Doctor, _but if it makes them feel better, let's humor them._

They made their way aboveground and Aryn called together his fellow scientists including his father and Dr. Athr. Aryn, BJ, Linikta, the Doctor and the invisible Xed and Lisa stood in front of the group and Aryn began speaking. He told everyone what had happened with the IRIS, that they found the small settlement of telepaths and that only one of them wanted any violence against the scientists. He explained that that one former telepath has been subdued and the rest of them were ready to surrender their weapons and technology in exchange for a peaceful coexistence. He also explained that they needed their help in repairing the IRIS and bringing Lisa back to normal.

There were murmurs amongst the scientists and the man named Kentar shouted, "How do we know they're telling the truth?!"

"Because one of them is here," said BJ and Xed deactivated the Invisi-Arc.

His appearance caused an uproar but Aryn and his group put themselves between the horde and Xed. "Stop it!" Aryn yelled, pushing everyone back. "Stop! He's telling the truth! The weapons are two floors below and – " Xed handed him the Invisi-Arc and Aryn raised it above his head. "He's surrendering their invisibility devices! The other ones are with the weapons!"

Tyrel joined in fighting the crowd off, shouting, "Everyone, stop!" The yelling quieted only a few decibels. "Aryn has never lied to me and I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt."

There were a few more shouts of protest and struggling – and a few of the scientists changed their allegiance and joined in protecting Xed from the others – until they finally relented. Kentar was giving Aryn and his group an intimidating scowl. "Don't make us regret it, Aryn."

"Knock it off, Kentar," said Aperem, then looked toward Aryn. "What do you need help with?"

Almost everyone headed toward the IRIS room. Kentar, Amelus and Cyluk were sent to retrieve the cart from two floors below while the rest of them started repairing the machine. Even with Xed and the Doctor's help it took quite a while first to get the machine operational and second to set it up to replicate the power surge.

Finally, Xed said, "It's ready. Lisa, if you would please stand where you were first struck."

She stood near the business end of the IRIS. The Doctor asked quietly, "Will it hurt?"

She'd hid the fact that it had before; her skin had mostly healed by the time the dampener had been deactivated so he hadn't felt the itching. Still, she tried to comfort him. _Doctor, it's okay._

"Impossible to say," said Xed, standing to fiddle with some more controls. "I'm sorry."

The Time Lord looked to where her outline was and she gave him what she hoped looked like a reassuring thumbs-up. He nodded and Xed and the scientists prepared the IRIS for discharge.

The machine hummed and he watched as the power output rose as it had before. The hum got louder and Xed walked to access different controls in order to initiate the power surge. The lens started to glow and Xed held his hand over a button.

"And…NOW!"

He slammed down on the control, the IRIS' power output shot into the red zone and the beam of light discharged just as it had before. The beam stopped where Lisa was standing and she squeezed her eyes shut but remarkably there was very little pain. Bright light bathed everything for several moments before fading.

She opened her eyes and before she could say anything the Doctor was embracing her. With a chuckle she returned the hug, sighing contentedly and very happy she was finally solid again.

"Glad to be back."

__End chapter eleven.__

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><p><strong><em><em>SPECIAL NOTE!<em>_** This story has THREE ENDINGS. This site has all three: Ending T, Ending E and Ending N and no, there is no significance to the three endings spelling the word "TEN".


	12. Ending T: I Can Hear Your Thoughts

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** The first of three endings. I Can Hear Your Thoughts: A lyric from "Amazed" by Lonestar.

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><p><em>Ending T: I Can Hear Your Thoughts<em>

The Doctor decided that there were no other reasons to stay now that Lisa was back, the scientists and former telepaths seemed to be forming their alliance and they had found out and reversed what had caused their link to weaken.

Except for one thing…

_What about their telepathy?_ Lisa asked. She felt bad for the former telepaths; she'd greatly disliked the time she spent unable to communicate telepathically and she didn't want them to suffer the same way anymore.

The Doctor honestly didn't know if there was any way to activate the former telepaths' dormant abilities but if she was going to insist then he was willing to try, although he wanted to leave it up to them if they even wanted the help or not.

"Well," he said, placing his arm around Lisa's shoulders, "I think we've done enough here. It's time we took our leave."

"Wait," said Linikta. "You both have telepathic abilities…is there anything you can do for them to bring theirs back?"

Xed gave a small smile but shook his head. "It's all right, Linikta. We have been without our abilities for this long…I'm sure we can survive without it."

"Are you sure?" asked Aryn. "Honestly…I'd feel better if they could at least try…"

"Yeah," added BJ. "We feel bad about the dampener."

The Doctor and Lisa exchanged glances. She smiled at him and he nodded. "All right. Xed, come here." The Time Lord and the former telepath stood close together and the Doctor placed his fingers on Xed's temples. They both shut their eyes and the Doctor concentrated, searching for the dormant telepathic abilities.

Frowning, the Doctor probed deeper, ignoring everything else in Xed's mind and focusing only on the dormant telepathy. Deeper and deeper he searched until, finally, he might have found what he was looking for. A tiny, quiet little nub of something sitting deep in the recesses of Xed's mind. He gave it a mental tap, expecting it to respond. When it didn't, he pushed harder. It gave a weak nudge and the Doctor opened his eyes, still frowning.

"What is it?" Aryn asked.

The Doctor remained silent for a moment before walking to Lisa and taking her hands in his. "I want you to concentrate," he said to her. "We're going to jump-start their abilities. I'll show you what to look for."

He held her hands tightly and they both bowed their heads and closed their eyes. The Doctor opened his mind to her, showing her the weak little nub deep within the telepaths' psyche.

Together they concentrated. One by one, the nubs shone weakly in their minds for each of the telepaths. The Doctor and Lisa gathered their telepathic energy, visualizing it as a ball of light and each of the nubs as a dim bulb waiting for a spark.

_Three_…_two_…_one_…_NOW!_

The energy burst forth, hitting each and every one of the nubs and lighting them up like a Christmas tree. Around them, each of the telepaths staggered and held their heads, groaning. The scientists helped support them until they regained their balance.

The Doctor and Lisa opened their eyes and turned to the telepaths, waiting for them to gather themselves. Had it worked?

_Oh, my head_… thought Xed.

_Tell me about it_… came Kazc's voice.

_Yeah_…_what a migraine_… said Kilbymer.

Whispers filtered through from the others.

_What's going on?_

_I don't know_…_oh, my head_…

_Can it be?_

Xed, Kilbymer and Kazc looked around and at each other. No one had spoken and yet they'd heard everything.

_Kilbymer_…_Kazc_…_can you hear me?_

The two telepaths nodded. _And you can hear me?_

_And me?_

Xed nodded. He turned towards Lisa and the Doctor, smiling. _Thank you_…_it's been so long_…

"Did it work?" asked Linikta. She, of course, couldn't hear.

The telepaths nodded. "It worked…we can hear thoughts again…" said Kilbymer in wonder. "We can communicate telepathically again…"

"We'll teach you how to shield your most intimate thoughts from us," Xed told the scientists as the other telepaths nodded their agreement. "My grandfather will still know how and we'll be able to use his knowledge."

The scientists nodded. "And we'll disassemble the dampener so this won't happen again." All turned towards the Doctor and Lisa.

"Thank you for everything," said Aryn. "For your help with the IRIS."

"And for giving us our abilities back." Xed added.

The Doctor and Lisa nodded, then bid their goodbyes and headed back to the TARDIS hand-in-hand. He held the door open for her, then set the machine in motion once they were inside.

_Think they'll be okay?_ asked Lisa.

_Time will tell, but I'm sure they'll make the effort to coexist. Telepathy can help with some things._

_And Janos?_

_He'll be dealt with, but now even he has the telepathy back. Once he figures out that the scientists really __didn't__ mean them any harm, he should change his views. It may take a while, but he won't harm anyone else._

_Good. So_…_what now?_

He grinned and put his arm around her. _Now let's go pick up the Ponds._

_The End_


	13. Ending E: You Are Not Alone

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** The second of three endings. You Are Not Alone: A lyric from the song of the same name by Michael Jackson. The start of the telepathy: Inspiration came from the _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ episode "Attached". Ilsa: Yes, yes. Aryn's girlfriend's name is an anagram of mine since in AL's timeline she winds up being the girlfriend of Ryan from _VR Troopers_. _POP!:_ When AL becomes linked to someone, there's a _pop!_ Aryn gets his wish.

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><p><em>Ending E: You Are Not Alone<em>

The Doctor decided that there were no other reasons to stay now that Lisa was back, the scientists and former telepaths seemed to be forming their alliance and they had found out and reversed what had caused their link to weaken.

Except for one thing…

_What about their telepathy?_ Lisa asked. She felt bad for the former telepaths; she'd greatly disliked the time she spent unable to communicate telepathically and she didn't want them to suffer the same way anymore.

The Doctor honestly didn't know if there was any way to activate the former telepaths' dormant abilities but if she was going to insist then he was willing to try, although he wanted to leave it up to them if they even wanted the help or not.

"Well," he said, placing his arm around Lisa's shoulders, "I think we've done enough here. It's time we took our leave."

"Wait," said Linikta. "You both have telepathic abilities…is there anything you can do for them to bring theirs back?"

Xed gave a small smile but shook his head. "It's all right, Linikta. We have been without our abilities for this long…I'm sure we can survive without it."

"Are you sure?" asked Aryn. "Honestly…I'd feel better if they could at least try…"

"Yeah," added BJ. "We feel bad about the dampener."

Xed held up a hand. "Really, it's all right."

"Speaking of the dampener," said Tyrel as he entered the room. "Doctor, we're in the process of dismantling it and we were wondering if you and Lisa could stick around long enough to ensure we don't accidentally reactivate it in the process."

The Doctor and Lisa exchanged a look, then both nodded figuring it was the least they could do. They followed the group into the dampener room and watched as they began picking up the pieces Linikta had scattered about and started taking it apart.

All of a sudden, some of the wiring began to spark. The Doctor and Lisa's telepathy began to, for lack of a better description, "flicker" as they went from having the ability to not and back again. Someone cried out as a large spark ignited the wiring; there was a flash followed by an explosive energy wave that knocked everyone back and caused Lisa and the Doctor's minds to tingle.

"Is everyone all right?" asked Aryn, scrambling for a fire extinguisher.

Lisa shrunk away from the flames, the Doctor putting a protective arm around her, and resisted the urge to flee the room. The others scrambled to disconnect the wiring and put out the blaze before it destroyed everything.

"Yeah," said Linikta. "What happened?"

"There must have still been power in the circuits," said BJ, peering closely at the machine. "It _looks_ off…" He looked at Lisa and the Doctor. "_Is_ it?"

Their telepathy and link were firmly in place, so they nodded. "We're fine," said the Doctor.

Linikta frowned at the panic in Lisa's face. "Are you sure?"

She relaxed as soon as the fire was put out and finally stood. "Yeah, I'm fine. Fire makes me uneasy, that's all. It's out now."

Satisfied with the answer, they resumed disassembling the dampener. This time, they were very careful with what they were doing so as not to repeat the malfunction. The process took a while and Lisa and the Doctor helped by removing the parts from the room.

There was a string of mental grumbling from Linikta as she struggled to remove a stuck panel.

"What did you say?" Aryn asked of her.

"Nothing," she replied, grunting as the panel finally came free.

Lisa blinked, wondering if she were imagining things. Dismissing it, she went back to work.

_Oh, this is going to take forever_… thought BJ.

"Nah, I think we should have this done within a half hour," said Linikta.

"What?" said BJ and Aryn at the same time.

"Huh?" asked Linikta, puzzled.

…_can it be?_ thought Xed.

"Can it be what?" asked BJ.

Lisa and the Doctor exchanged a look. "You're hearing thoughts," she said. "How's that possible?" The Doctor started buzzing the dampener with the sonic screwdriver.

_What about that wave that came out of the dampener?_ thought Aryn.

"The wave that came from the dampener!" said Xed. "When it happened, did you feel tingling in your mind?"

"Yes," said Tyrel. "As if my mind were opening up."

"The malfunction of the dampener activated the dormant telepathic abilities," said the Doctor.

"But what about us?" asked BJ. "We're not telepathic."

The Doctor waved his hand. "All humans have the capability to use extraordinary abilities and telepathy is one of them."

"He's right," said Lisa. "All it needs is a little push…I guess the wave from the dampener was it." She paused, then, "I guess you don't need us anymore, huh?"

The telepaths and the new telepathic scientists all glanced at each other. Xed stepped forward. "We'll teach you how to control the ability so you don't hear what you don't want to. My grandfather will still know how and we'll be able to use his knowledge."

The scientists nodded and Lisa and the Doctor stood by the door. "We'll find our own way out," said the Doctor as he ushered Lisa out of the room.

"Wait!" called Aryn, causing them to look back. "Um…your telepathic link…do you…think it would be possible…I mean…" He seemed unable to get the words out. _Do you think I could have the same with my girlfriend?_

Everyone heard the thought and tried to look like they hadn't heard it. Lisa had to smile, however, and took the Doctor's hand. "Anything is possible."

"How does it work?"

She shook her head. "Nope. I won't tell you. If it's meant to be, it'll happen. Trust me. But even if it doesn't, don't be discouraged."

Aryn stared a moment, then nodded, resigned. "Goodbye, Doctor. Goodbye, Lisa. Thank you for everything."

The Doctor and Lisa nodded, then bid their goodbyes and headed back to the TARDIS hand-in-hand. He held the door open for her, then set the machine in motion once they were inside.

_Think they'll be okay?_ asked Lisa.

_Time will tell, but I'm sure they'll make the effort to coexist. Telepathy can help with some things._

_And Janos?_

_He'll be dealt with, but now even he has the telepathy back. Once he figures out that the scientists really __didn't__ mean them any harm, he should change his views. It may take a while, but he won't harm anyone else._ He twiddled a few controls, then looked at her. _Would it be possible for Aryn to become linked with his girlfriend?_

Lisa shrugged. _I'm not the only one who has the ability. If they truly love each other, then anything's possible. _She sidled up to him._ So_…_what now?_

He grinned and put his arm around her. _Now let's go pick up the Ponds._

Meanwhile, back at the laboratory, Aryn went looking for his girlfriend after explaining to everyone why they now had telepathic abilities. He found her in one of the smaller rooms of the lab.

_Ilsa,_ he called to her, _isn't this amazing?_

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I think it's a little creepy. We're gonna know what everyone's thinking."

Aryn held her hands. "We'll learn from the telepaths how to control it. I think it's cool."

_You would._

_I heard that._

Ilsa half-glared at him, but her expression softened when he smiled at her. _I could never resist that smile._

That made Aryn's grin grow larger. He took her in his arms, tilted her head up and kissed her.

_POP!_

_The End_


	14. Ending N: Everything's Okay

**THIS STORY IS MARY SUE! IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, DON'T READ IT!**

**Trivia and In-Jokes:** The third of three endings. Everything's Okay: A lyric from "Ironic" by Alanis Morissette. You could say it's also from a song from the _Scrubs_ musical, but I don't want to use the same source twice.

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><p><em>Ending N: Everything's Okay<em>

The Doctor decided that there were no other reasons to stay now that Lisa was back, the scientists and former telepaths seemed to be forming their alliance and they had found out and reversed what had caused their link to weaken.

Except for one thing…

_What about their telepathy?_ Lisa asked. She felt bad for the former telepaths; she'd greatly disliked the time she spent unable to communicate telepathically and she didn't want them to suffer the same way anymore.

The Doctor honestly didn't know if there was any way to activate the former telepaths' dormant abilities but if she was going to insist then he was willing to try, although he wanted to leave it up to them if they even wanted the help or not.

"Well," he said, placing his arm around Lisa's shoulders, "I think we've done enough here. It's time we took our leave."

"Wait," said Linikta. "You both have telepathic abilities…is there anything you can do for them to bring theirs back?"

Xed gave a small smile but shook his head. "It's all right, Linikta. We have been without our abilities for this long…I'm sure we can survive without it."

"Are you sure?" asked Aryn. "Honestly…I'd feel better if they could at least try…"

"Yeah," added BJ. "We feel bad about the dampener."

Xed held up a hand. "Really, it's all right."

"Speaking of the dampener," said Tyrel as he entered the room. "Doctor, we're in the process of dismantling it and we were wondering if you and Lisa could stick around long enough to ensure we don't accidentally reactivate it in the process."

The Doctor and Lisa exchanged a look, then both nodded figuring it was the least they could do. They followed the group into the dampener room and watched as they began picking up the pieces Linikta had scattered about and started taking it apart. It was long and tedious work and they helped by removing the dismantled parts from the room the dampener was in.

Linikta grumbled as she struggled to free a stuck panel and Lisa said, "Oh, I doubt that." Everyone looked at them.

"You heard that, huh?"

"Naturally. I don't think this'll take forever. We're all working together so it should go fast."

"It took longer to get the IRIS working, after all," said Aryn with a smile.

"True," she admitted and got back to work, the panel finally coming free.

Dismantling the dampener and storing the parts for recycling or trash took the better part of two hours. Once the job was done, the scientists and former telepaths surveyed their work.

"I guess that's it," said Aryn.

"At least the parts will be of some use," added BJ.

"Yeah, I guess." They turned to the Doctor and Lisa. "Well, Doctor, Lisa, I suppose this is goodbye." Aryn extended his hand. "Thank you for your help with the IRIS."

Xed did likewise. "And thank you for helping unite our two people. We'll take care of Janos and ensure he won't harm anyone."

The Doctor and Lisa shook their offered hands and nodded, then bid their goodbyes and headed back to the TARDIS hand-in-hand. He held the door open for her, then set the machine in motion once they were inside.

_Think they'll be okay?_ asked Lisa.

_Time will tell, but I'm sure they'll make the effort to coexist._

_And Janos?_

_Once he figures out that the scientists really __didn't__ mean them any harm, he should change his views. It may take a while, but he won't harm anyone else._

_Good. So_…_what now?_

He grinned and put his arm around her. _Now let's go pick up the Ponds._

_The End_


End file.
